Roman soldiers trudged across Europe, conquering cities and creating more territory for the Roman Empire. Through their battles, the soldiers’ armor evolved into pieces that were sturdier and could withstand heavier attacks. From simple hardened leather to extravagant lorica segmentata pieces, the Roman Army’s methods of protection evolved greatly throughout its history.

The Lorica Segmentata was developed eventually after hardened leather and mail did not sufficiently provide protection for the battling Roman soldiers. The Lorica was created by joining thick strips of metal (steel or iron) together with leather banding. The strips of metal were laid out horizontally. The leather holding them together was located on the underside of the metal. The metal was arranged so that each layer overlapped, allowing for better protection. The Lorica Segmentata was created with four pieces. The breastplate with the layered strips of steel was completed with two steel shoulder guards and a heavy back plate. Used with chainmail, this armor design was incredibly effective in battle.

This type of armor was easily stored for travel since it broke down into four smaller sections. Some versions had a left and right side to the Lorica body and then individual shoulder guards. These sections were normally joined together by brass buckles and clasps. Other versions had a front and back plate, again joined together with brass buckles and clasps. Shoulder guards were almost always separate from the section that protected the back and torso. As the armor developed, rivets replaced the brass clasps.

It is expected that the Lorica Segmentata was discontinued in use because it was expensive to create and difficult to maintain. A more solid breastplate paired with a solid back plate was easier to keep in functioning order than the multiple segments in the lorica. The Roman Army fought hard for the control they had over Europe. The Lorica Segmentata helped the soldiers to survive one battle so they could trudge on to the next.

Be sure to find your attractive new Lorica Segmentata armor today at an awesome price, just head on over to Medieval Costumes & Gifts today!

The first thing to do to start off your collection is to determine what era and style of armor you are looking for. If you want it all, that makes the collection easier. If you want a specific era and specific style, pinpoint it at the beginning.
Also, at the beginning of the collection process, it is good to determine what pieces of the armor you are looking to collect. Decide if you want the full armor with helmet, chest plate, gloves, shoes, arm and leg guards or just bits and pieces to display separately.

When determining which pieces of armor you wish to purchase, keep in mind your possible display space. If you are in a studio apartment, an entire Roman Knight may not fit. A few helmets displayed on the fireplace mantel may work better. Shields and breast plates can always be hung on the wall to conserve floor display areas.

If your armor collection is going to be used as costume pieces, then you will also want to consider the sizing of the armor before purchasing it. Most places, including medievalcostumesandgifts.com, offer sizing information for their products.
If you are not looking to use your armor as costume pieces, you may also be interested in miniature versions of the armor. These will save space in your display area and often offer as many details as the full-sized replicas.

Do your research before spending your cash. Many places offer replica armor. Some of this replica armor is battle-approved. Some armor is purely only meant for costume or display purposes. Depending on what you plan on using your armor for, make sure you are aware of the differences.

Armor collections are a unique and growing interest. Armor helmets make for interesting display pieces. Researching the history behind helmet styles will make your collection even more interesting to visitors. Having a plan when starting your collection will benefit how it turns out in the end.

Most of all have fun when planning your collection! There are tons of different options for armor. Be aware of what you are looking for and enjoy the new pieces!

Throughout the Medieval age, fighting events were very popular amongst the kingdom/Empire, Men Who were mainly stripped and given little armor would have to fight to the death to become an ultimate warrior of the arena. These men were slaves and were used for only public amusement.

Beginning in the Late Bronze age (Fall of Greece – Rise of the Roman Empire) "Gladiators" were common, and were forced into warriors that would later fight each other to the death in an open arena. The rush of adrenaline to survive spread through the men, fighting with all their power, the slicing of limbs and bleeding gouges drenched the arena, the whaling of the crowd, but the fate of life and death is only held in the hand of the Emperor, who is visibly engaged in the fighting and performance of the gladiators.Ever wonder where the thumbs signal came from, well after an epic gladiator battle the Emperor would make a decision whether the warrior would live or die. There is a controversy over the whole idea of thumbs up and thumbs down (Spare the warriors life, Kill him). The famous painting that lead to the pop culture of the thumbs signal, was by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1872) which misleads viewers that thumbs down was a negative reaction and thumbs up was a positive reaction, though historians disagree and leave the subject open for discussion. No matter what gesture it was the tired and injured men would be scared to see the emperor’s final decision.

Over the years these combat fighting events would get even more popular, during the middle ages with jousting to even today with boxing (though they may not fight to the death, many events like these were inspired by ancient Gladiator battles).

Soldiers during the medieval time period, did not have access to any high-tech weapons or armor seen today. They had to rely on bigger armies, battle strategy, and strength and skill to defeat their enemies on the battlefield. Because there was such a need, weapons and armor were constantly being developed and improved. Soldiers often wore armor that made them look scary to intimidate the enemy soldiers in combat. Replicas are available for some armor pieces today, and people like to collect and display them.

Medieval soldiers might have used human and animal bones to decorate themselves and create a terrifying image. They sometimes made helmets from skull bones of animals or men with larger heads than them for protection and further intimidation. It was very frightening but bone is not strong enough to be very effective head protection. Metal is a better material to protect the head but these soldiers used what they had. Scaring the enemy or shrouding oneself in mystery was a big part of warfare.

An army or a tribe could acquire a reputation for being "supernatural" or evil and enemies would enter battles nervous and scared. Terror was a good way to get an advantage on the battlefield because frightened soldiers may not fight as well as they would otherwise.

Over time, people created new types of armor with metals and leather which is much lighter in weight. Ancient Greek soldiers had breastplates with muscles carved and shaped right into them. They looked incredibly strong and fit, and this was intimidating to their enemies. They combined this with a helmet which added height to their appearance, so they looked like muscular, tall fearless men to their opponents.

The bronze age brought increased control when making metal helmets and armor. Soldiers had scary looking horns or points attached to helmets to look frightening. These spikes were not really for stabbing enemies but the enemies didn’t know that! They could definitely cause damage in close combat. These frightening head adornments were mostly worn to strike fear into the heart of the opponent in battle.

Though influenced by the Greek life style ancient Rome was very different, Rome was more of a much unified civilization that was very powerful. One of the greatest inventions from the blacksmiths of Rome was the Lorica Segmentata body armor, with complex segments of iron or iron alloys. This body armor basically covered the upper torso. The design of this breastplate is very similar to the Greeks bronze breastplates because of their muscular pattern on the outside of it. The Romans were one of the most fierce militaries that ever walked during the dark ages, they slaughtered and massacred there enemies out of their path in central Western Europe. Their armor and fighting styles were very efficient they wore strong breastplates and helmets such as the Imperial officer helmet or the Imperial Gallic helmet. The Romans were quite an army and powerful civilization that lasted over 500 years.